


In With The New

by readwriteandavengers



Series: Made of Folk Lore [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Asking Out, Fae & Fairies, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Mythical Creatures!Au, Vampires, Werewolves, Witchcraft, Witches, celebrating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 17:05:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10644273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/readwriteandavengers/pseuds/readwriteandavengers
Summary: Roe, Guarnere, Liebgott, and Grant are all excited that they can finally celebrate the Spring Equinox. It'll be full of telling stories, eating, spell casting... But there will also be a full moon, so it's no surprise that their celebrations are interrupted by Babe and Toye.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm continuing on with the Folklore AU. The idea of vampire-witch Gene was too good. Thanks for reading!

Eugene Roe… an interesting case when it comes to Easy Company. The young man is a hybrid, the product of a vampire and a witch having a child, which caused controversy all throughout Roe’s life. He’d been sick and tired of hearing people say that he was a dangerous combination of creatures that never should have been. But now that he’s with Easy, he feels actually appreciated.

Not only is a vampire witch, he’s also a medic, which seems to further the complications of his situation. At first, he almost wasn’t allowed to be a medic since he still craved blood, but after proving his incredible skill and resistance towards the substance, they let him continue on.

Roe was happy. He’d come from a family of healers, something that he held near and dear to his heart. He’d spent so many years with his grandmother, practicing all sorts of spells and the quickest ways to stop someone’s pain. A lot of their methods were natural alternatives, but Gene knows when a good dose of morphine is needed.

Then, when he joined Easy Company, he felt welcomed by the others. While they don’t officially call themselves a coven, Gene knows damn well what a coven is comprised of and they make up a damn good one. There’s Guarnere, Liebgott, and Grant that are also witches, although they’re not hybrid creatures like Roe. They're from a line of witches. Grant's family had purer blood, which some families still view as important, while Guarnere and Liebgott had many human relatives. 

Most of their time is spent practicing with one another, conjuring up spells and seeing if they can create new ones. It’s much harder to create a new spell, but together they’ve managed to put at least two together. The spells still need some new work, but they’ve made spells from scratch nonetheless. It's a feat that some witches can go their entire lives without completing, so they're all rather proud with the accomplishments.

There are vampires too and Roe’s familiar with them all, but he feels more at home with his coven. He didn’t grow up around vampires. He grew up around his mom’s side of the family, who were mostly all graced with the gift of magic.

But at the moment, Roe’s sat on his thin mattress, his feet curled underneath him and flipping through an old spell book that his Gran had given him before he’d left. They’d been so busy that he hadn’t had much time to read its contents, but now he’s got free time since the weekend has arrived.

Not only is it the weekend, it’s a time for celebration as well. Spring has arrived, and the witches weren’t able to properly celebrate during the Spring Equinox so they’re taking their time now. So Roe sits prepared, with a weave of flowers sitting on the crown of his head. It’s something he’d made earlier.

Guarnere comes in seconds later, as if reading Roe’s mind. The other wears a large smile as he enters Roe’s quarters, having a few flowers tucked behind his ears as well.

“Up and at ‘em, Sunshine. Grant and Lieb are already headed towards the woods. Thought you and I could head over too.” Guarnere offers as he leans against the doorway. His eyes dip down towards Gene’s small, leather-bound spell book and back up to Gene. “Hey, you should bring that.”

Gene, in the process of standing, gives Guarnere an unsure look. “You think so?”

“Yeah, why not? View it as an ode to your grandma.” Guarnere reassures, watching as Roe flips the book back and forth in his hand. After another beat, Roe feels a wave of warmth over his form and he smiles softly.

Roe turns to peer over towards Guarnere, his dark eyes and warm smile showing his happiness. “Thanks,” Roe says softly as he makes his way over to Guarnere.

The other man smiles at him contentedly, his lips pursed together as he nods. “Sure thing, Doc. Look, I don’t know if we’re going to have much time in the woods to ourselves since it’s a full moon tonight. I’m thinking the wolves are going to be more territorial than usual.”

Roe sighs at the mention of the full moon, but nods. It’s a good thing for their celebration, but like Guarnere points out, they’ll have to share the space with the wolves. They already weren’t allowed to have their festivities on the actual day, and now they’ll have to share their space. Roe tries not to feel too upset, knowing that while their time is being infringed upon, the wolves also can’t help the needed change.

 “We’ll work with it.” Roe shoots back, giving Guarnere a matching disappointed smile.

They walk together from there on out, having little blurbs of conversation here and there. Guarnere talks the most, and for that Roe is grateful. He never has much to share, but Guarnere always seems to have a silly story tucked away in his pocket for whenever it’s needed.

Roe also likes to listen. His Gran used to say that was a gift of his, and to this day he tries to value that as much as possible. He laughs at certain points, especially when Bill tells the punch line. Roe notices instantly how Guarnere’s face lights up that someone else appreciates the joke, and that cause Roe’s heart to swell.

Past the chatter, the walk is also exceedingly beautiful, although a tad warm for his liking. The sun is hanging above the horizon, large and a rich orange. The light it casts against the road is beautiful, as well as the way it shines through the trees. Roe always likes this hour the most, since it makes him think of his time back at home. The orange sunlight would reflect off of murky water of the swamp and somehow made even that beautiful.

Then, before Roe realizes it, they’re at the edge of the base. Guarnere’s places his hand on Roe’s elbow and guides him to the left and past the edge of the trees. Once Guarnere feels Roe’s headed in the proper direction, he lets go and takes the lead. He pushes a few branches out of his way, which end up snapping back into Roe’s face, but he manages to dodge each one.

After another few moments of chatter and avoiding fallen longs, Roe sees a clearing up ahead. Guarnere makes his way into the field first, followed by Roe.

The sight practically leaves him breathless. He hadn’t seen where they’d be able to have their festivities since he'd been busy, but the boys certainly picked a timeless spot. The grass is tall, since no one would bother landscaping a place so far off the path, and sprinkled within the grass are gorgeous wildflowers. There’s small woodruff growing in patches here and there, with daffodils peppered through the field. Even lovelier is the violet that adds a splash of color here and there.

“Wow,” Guarnere echoes Roe’s thoughts, stepping forward to meet Lieb and Grant at the center.

Lieb’s grinning wide, his smile actually full of joy rather that the sarcasm he sports so often. Even Grant’s got a crooked smile on his face as Guarnere and Roe walk closer.

“Pretty nice, huh?” Lieb shoots back smugly, waving his hands across the circular field. “Grant and I were searching for a place and this location seemed to call out to him.”

“I see why,” Gene fills in with a small smile. “This is lovely, you guys.”

“It slightly makes up for us missing the actual time for celebration.” Grant tells him, a small laugh following. Then his head tilts back as he looks up at the sky, taking in a deep breath as he admires the view. “Plus, it offers a great view of where the moon will be in an hour’s time.”

At the mention of the moon, all of the others lift their heads back, chins high in the air as they join Chuck in admiring the sky. It’s as if they were able to find their own world out here, surrounded by the growing flowers and the smell of nature. Roe can even hear the creek just past the trees, the water cascading down the rocks.

After a few more moments, the four all look at each other again, standing in a way that they’re forming a square. There are a few comments thrown back and forth before they all fall into a sitting position in the grass and start to share a few things.

Lieb starts by pulling out a cloth filled of a few different seeds and nuts for them all to share. It’s a nice addition, Roe thinks, chewing thoughtfully on a pumpkin seed. They start sharing their stories of past celebrations, and once again Roe is happy to listen. He watches the way that Lieb’s eyes light up at the mention of his family, and the way that the last celebration he and his family had ended up on the disastrous side. But he looks back on it fondly, laughing at the thought of it.

Grant goes next, talking about how his celebrations had always been small. Grant had received his magic from his mother, but he’d lost her when he was young. His dad had no sense of magic, not a spark of it in his soul, and neither did Chuck’s younger brother. But after his mom had passed, his dad made it his personal mission to learn as much as he could about the celebrations. He’d call up Chuck’s grandmother and grandfather, his mom’s parents, and ask them all he could. If his grandparents hadn’t lived across the states from them, Chuck would have attended their celebrations, but it just wasn’t the case.

Regardless, the way Chuck talks as he tells his story tells just how much he cares about his father and brother. While it was rough that they didn’t know magic, Chuck admits, there wasn’t a day that he didn’t feel their love.

Then there's Guarnere, who goes on to tell stories about his boisterous brothers and the antics they always got up to. But then he talks about his ma and how she always knew how to wrestle them together to get them to behave in a matter of seconds. He holds high respect for his mom, talking about how she happened to raise him and his brothers all on her own and still work and provide for them.

Then it’s Roe’s turn, who’s a little shy at the beginning. He explains the gatherings they’d have, and how he and the other younger kids would play tag through the swamp, but they’d all cheat by trying to use their magic. And then as they got older, they were brought into the rituals as a way to symbolize those becoming adults. They were each crowned with a designated flower, ash would be smeared under their eyes into delicate runes, and then a chant would start. Then, it’s more of an ancient tradition, but newly appointed young adults would take a dagger, drag it across the inside of their palm to draw blood. They’d then make a handprint on a giant boulder outside of Gene’s Gran’s home. It was all a way to welcome one another into the coven.

The story has the others all listening with rapt attention, and when Gene’s story comes to a close they still look interested.

“That’s some badass shit,” Lieb states, his head nodding in approval.

Gene lets out a small laugh at that, but they continue their conversations. The sky ahead is just turning into a dusty dark blue, with a few weaving clouds of purple in between. Luckily the clouds are sparse, because the stars are already peeping through. The four are now leaning back, or even lying in the grass as they talk, but a shuffling at the corner of the field draws their attention.

Instantly, all of their eyes snap in the direction of the noise, hands already lifted to fend off any attackers. Each of their magic makes an appearance, each unique to fit their own personalities.

Grant’s magic is thick like smoke, but much darker with a glimmer within the wisps that dance around his fingers. The amazing thing is that the magic never diminishes like smoke, until Grant wills it away. It’s as if he’s got storm clouds surrounding his fingers, ready to fight whenever needed.

Lieb’s magic isn’t as calm as Grant’s. It’s more electric, but the sparks that seem to fly off of his hands are golden, and the electricity seems to not only shine off his finger tips but also glows in the veins on the back of his hands and travels a bit down his forearm before stopping. It’s an amazing sight, as if Lieb’s got electricity coursing through his own body.

Guarnere’s appears like fire, the color changing depending on the intensity of every situation. It’s as if the higher his temper is, the brighter the magic burns, just like actual fire. At the moment, the flame-like magic curls and licks at his fingers in a deep green since Guarnere is just alert.

Unlike the other’s, Roe’s magic rarely takes a form. It’s usually just light radiating from his palms, and slightly like Lieb’s, the light runs down his forearms in jagged lines, as if it’s cracking his skin. It seems as though the magic affects him outwardly, where Lieb’s magic seems to come from within. There was always an old legend that was whispered amongst Roe’s family, that if they weren’t careful magic could consume them. And that’s what Roe always thinks about when he sees Lieb’s magic compared to his own. It seems to radiate from Lieb’s veins, whereas Gene’s magic crawls down his arms, further and further until Roe lowers his hands.

But then Babe Heffron and Joe Toye break through the brush with big goofy smiles on their faces, until they see the magic awaiting for them on the other side.

Bill’s the first to groan in annoyance, letting his hands fall and the others follow suit almost immediately. The air is instantly less tense, but now the witches are just annoyed that the werewolves had intruded far sooner than they were hoping.

“God damn it, Joe.” Bill curses as he lifts his hands in agitation, although no magic following.

Joe’s brows scrunch together in return, motioning back in the same gesture. “I didn’t know you guys were going to be out here! It’s a full moon-”

“No shit.” Bill shoots back. “You don’t think a couple of witches don’t know that? Can’t you guys smell us from a certain distance away?”

“Most of the company is wolves! You guys practically smell like pack by now!” Joe tries to justify their intrusion, but even he seems to realize that anything he or Babe say won’t get them out of the dog house.

“What are you guys doing out here anyway?” Babe finally pipes up, his eyes dancing over each of the witches with interest. He must notice the flowers they’ve got twirled into their hair, because he’s pointedly looking at each of the tops of their heads.

“We weren’t able to celebrate the equinox when it was actually here so we’re celebrating now.” Grant answers blandly, now bringing his knees up to rest his arms on. They all get along just fine, but there’s a difference between getting along and having a group of wolves intrude on witch festivities. It only opens a door for teasing between fellow creatures, which is the last thing any of the witches want.

“Would it be okay if we joined you guys? I’d love to learn about why you celebrate.” Babe inquires genuinely, which has Roe’s brows darting up to his hairline. The pure kindness radiating from Babe is a force Roe can feel, and he can tell that Babe means well. So Roe turns towards the other three as he gives them all a questioning stare. No one seems opposed, so Bill turns back to the two.

“Alright, you guys can join but if you get annoying we’re kicking you out.” Bill grumbles as he waves them forward.

The two wolves move forward excitedly, each sitting on either side of Bill. That leaves Babe, the smiling redhead between Roe and Bill, while Toye’s on the other side with Lieb beside him.

Toye’s stretches his legs out in front of him languidly, as comfortable as can be in a field in the middle of the woods. He turns to Bill with a smirk, a small chuckle escaping him as well. “We won’t be in your hair for too long. We’ve got maybe half an hour before the change.”

“Yeah, well,” Bill retorts, turning his eyes on Toye. The second he sees the smirk on the other’s face, Bill’s losing all fire behind his comeback. “Just keep your damn mouth shut.” He says instead, which only gets another low chuckle from Toye.

Now with the addition to their celebration, conversations have stemmed off between the group. Leaving Roe, once again, as the listener. He flits between Bill and Toye’s conversation, and then back to Lieb and Grant’s conversation, and at one point their conversations end up merging. Roe’s just noting that it’s difficult to follow when he feels a pair of eyes on him.

Slowly, Roe turns towards the inkling, finding Babe on the other end. One brow quirks up as he stares back at the other, causing Babe’s smile to fall and a guilty expression to take its place.

“Oh, sorry,” Babe says sheepishly, his cheeks turning pink at being caught. The red cheeks and red hair are nice paired together, Roe thinks absentmindedly. Then Babe scratches the back of his head as he peers back up at Roe innocently. “So, ah, did you enjoy the celebration so far?”

Roe’s face softens quickly at Babe’s kind tone, so he nods with a kind smile. “It’s been nice, yeah.”

Babe laughs nervously at that, but purses his lips as he nods too. “I hope we didn’t ruin it by showing up.”

At first, Roe’s not sure what to say. He doesn’t think Babe and Toye ruined the celebration at all… but they’re certainly putting a halt to it. Then again, he and Bill had been expecting some werewolves to tread through so they should be lucky it was Babe and Toye who showed up. Both of them are Bill’s close friends, so they’re most likely more familiar with mentions of magic. So Roe decides to shake his head no. “You haven’t ruined anything. The celebration will last for hours, so we’ve got quite a bit of time.”

Babe smiles at that, giving Roe another nod. “Good, I’m glad.”

There’s a few moments of awkward silence that falls between them now, since Roe isn’t sure how to respond. There’s no where to go on that conversation from here, so Roe would have to change the subject… but he doesn’t have a clue on what to bring up. So he resolves to looking down at the flowers in front of him.

Babe grows quiet too, listening to the other conversations for a bit. But finally, after rubbing at his shins, he turns back to Roe. “What’s your favorite thing about celebrating?” He inquires.

Roe seems to think on that, but he thinks back to the food he and his Gran would make and he nods decidedly. “The feast.” He answers honestly, turning to grin widely at Babe.

The other smiles back, his eyes soft, until they fall down to Roe’s lips. He seems to be captured by something else now, particularly Roe’s mouth… At first Roe’s confused, until he feels the slight pin prick against his bottom lip and he knows that his fangs are out. His small falls immediately, and he lifts a hand to hide the sharp points falling past his lips.

Babe’s eyes widen when he sees Gene’s embarrassment, so he’s quick to wave him off. “Shit, I’m sorry for staring. I just-your smile… I like your smile.”

Roe’s hand falters at Babe’s words, and the compliment sends a warm feeling through his body. The fact that Babe, a werewolf, would be so kind about Roe accidentally revealing his fangs is astounding to Roe. It’s seen as a threat if a vampire's fangs appear, but young vampires, or hybrids like Roe, have a harder time concealing them. If they’re excited, angry, sad, or any range of emotion can cause their fangs to emerge.

So Roe lets his hand fall to his side, giving Babe a soft smile in return. “I’m sorry, they just come out sometimes.” He explains lamely, making sure his tongue avoids the points. He doesn’t feel like tasting his own blood tonight.

Babe shakes his head now, his smile growing wider now that Roe’s lowered his hand. “No, it’s fine!” Babe shoots back, looking at Roe with pure interest. The rapt attention Babe has on Roe makes him feel slightly uncomfortable. He can’t remember anyone looking at Roe with such amazement before.

By now, Bill’s picked up on their small chatter, and he’s looking between Babe and Roe with a small smile on his face. There’s a look in his eyes that can only be described as knowing, as if he can see something between Babe and Roe before Roe can. He wants to ask what Bill’s grinning for, but then a howl cuts through the woods.

Both Babe and Toye perk up immediately, their heads snapping in the same direction.

“Alright, boys.” Toye drawls as he makes his way to his feeet. He looks around them all with a smug smile, but his eyes land on Bill last. “See you around.” His voice turns into something different there, tilting up in something like a flirtatious suggestion. Then, as if Roe was doubting the tone, Toye gives Bill a wink.

Guarnere scoffs in response, rolling his eyes as he turns away but Gene can feel the blush moving to Bill’s face. The sudden rush of blood has Roe’s nostril’s flaring, and he wonders if Toye can smell the scent as well. After all, wolves are supposed to have stronger sense of smell.

Toye’s laughing as he backs away now, waiting for Babe to join him.

Roe turns back to the redhead at the thought, finding him standing and brushing his hands off on his slacks as he goes. He gives Toye a uncertain glimpse before turning back to Roe with a small smile. He looks shy as he rubs his hands together, but finally he manages to speak up.

“Maybe we can talk tomorrow,” Babe suggests, head tilting to the side as he offers a nervous smile.

Roe seems shocked at the invitation, but he’s nodding through his surprise. “Yeah… yeah, that sounds nice.”

Although Roe’s words are simple and plain, Babe’s smile flourishes wide as he nods. It’s as if he’s forgotten that they’re surrounded by three other witches and a werewolf. His eyes are on Roe and Roe only, looking at him as if he’s as beautiful as the moon and stars themselves.

“Come on, lover boy,” Toye finally teases, reaching out and tugging on Babe’s sleeve. “You know Winters hates it when we show up late.”

Babe laughs lightly, but finally turns around and jogs with Toye to the edge of the forest. Just before the reach the brush, Babe turns over his shoulder and gives Roe one last smile. Then, he and Toye both jump forward as they leap into the dense forest, landing back on the ground in their wolf forms. They sprint off in the direction of their pack.

“Wow, Roe.” Chuck says with a low smile. “I think Babe’s got a thing for you.”

“Babe’s _definitely_ got a thing for you.” Bill answers back exasperatedly, but he shakes his head fondly at the mention of Babe. “That kid basically had it written on his forehead.”

Roe’s own flush fills his face, but the teasing cuts short after that. They return to their story telling and snacking, and eventually they link hands as they mumble a small chant together. It’s a chant of new beginnings, celebrating new lives, the new growth, like the blooming flowers around them or the leaves on the trees,

Then once they’re done, the chatter turns to their spells and how they’ve been doing with casting. It’s all fascinating, and Roe loves to listen… but he’s a little distracted now that he’s got thoughts of a redheaded werewolf filling his mind.


End file.
